If you’re thinking of studying a degree in Computing, there has never been a more exciting time to start. Advancements in the digital age have made computing one of the most thriving industries to work in. Computing infiltrates every aspect of our everyday life and with new inventions and chances for innovation, embarking on a career in computing has never been so exciting.
In this blog, we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of past computing achievements which have shaped how we live, current trends and where the future of computing can take us.
Then
50 years ago something monumental happened. The internet was born.
Before the creation on the internet a computer would commonly be used for complex calculations and coding. Computing jobs consisted of those who maintained the hardware and coders.
The creation of the internet not only changed how we live and work, but also introduced a range of new jobs. These included Network Engineers who looked after hardware, new roles in telecom companies and phone engineers. It also welcomed Network Administrators who would administer the company, by creating user accounts, emails and manage and maintain the software used.
The internet helped create a distributed global network of nodes to exchange information through the World Wide Web, before this information was centralised.
Now
It’s hard to imagine going a day without interacting with a computer or modern tech. Can you think of the last time you travelled somewhere new without use of GPS? Or when you couldn’t rely on Google for the answer? We’re certainly living in the digital age.
Within computing there are jobs that exist now which may not have existed 15, 10 or even five years ago. This is because technology is not static and a move in technology means a change in the type of resources required. The computing sector is at the forefront of this, creating tech which changes the way we live.
Smart phones have changed the way we communicate. The rise in smartphones has seen a sharp increase in jobs such as App Developers. Always looking for fresh ways to be engaging and intuitive, App Developers use a combination of skills in their work.
Over the past few years we’ve began to understand how valuable data can be. Computing is highly data driven and skills learnt can help us to seek crucial insights. Market research data miners are becoming more popular and is a field which has increased over the past few years and will continue to increase.
The learnings from all this data combined with key computing skills have highlighted the importance of user experience. We understand this more now than ever before. User experience designers have an important role to play in the computing sector and they determine information architecture, create personas, conduct usability testing and much more. All of which can determine the success of a new piece of tech, app or website.
The future
We look at computers as being objects on our desks at home, at work and even in our pockets. However, computers are everywhere in our cars and kitchens. They’re no longer objects but part of fabrics and other materials. Due to this we need to pay interest in the future of computing because it will continue to impact our lives.
The future of computing is certainly bright. The speed of innovation is continuing to pace, and with it comes new and exciting roles. One of the most exciting advancements will come from the rollout of 5G. This will certainly be a milestone in computing and bring with it new opportunities. Self-driving cars will become more apparent meaning a surge in new job roles available.
Of the current roles available, cyber security engineers and analysts will be one of the most important tech roles in next few decades. The future will see roles in cloud computing services and big data analyst. Alongside this will be AI/Machine learning designers, developers or engineers. With AI requiring more and new data to intersect with the real world, this will fuel a new wave of start-ups in the industry. Quantum computers could also spur the development of new breakthroughs. If these careers interest you, take a look at the courses we offer.
Computing is an exciting industry with still lots of potential for growth. Maybe the most exciting part of this industry is that we don’t know exactly how far we can advance in computing. Time and learnings will tell.
The way we’ve adapted and woven technology into our everyday lives with such ease, suggests that our reliance on tech isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
